According to biologists at the University of Texas at Austin, it may be a mix between a green jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). By comparison, their blue jay cousins are known to generally prefer the more temperate environments of the eastern US, and rarely fly further west than Houston, Texas. Their results published on September 10 in the journal Ecology and Evolution confirm the first hybrid grue jay ever seen in the wild. However, in that instance, researchers intentionally crossbred a green jay mother and blue jay father. After releasing the wild grue jay in 2022, the historic bird’s fate remained a mystery for years.